Electric switch gear



- E. WATERHOUSE ELECTRIC SWITCH GEAR 4 Shee tS-Shee t I I Filed Dec. 23. 1926 .Sept. 27, 1927.

E. WATERHOUSE I ELECTRIC svu'rca 021m Filed 090. 2a; 1926 I 4 Shgets-Sheei 3 Sept. 27, 1921.

E. wATERHOusE ELECTRIC SWITCH GEAR Filed Dec. 23. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Ja/rpfaxf 7516' M, aa-

Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

UNITED STA T s PATENT OFFICEQ Application filed December 23,

This invention relates to electric switchgear of the kind in which a movable or drawout portion has sockets into which a removable plug can be inserted so that when the movable portion is racked in,connect1on is made with one or other of duplicate busbar sockets on the fixed portion of the gear.

It is known in switchgear of this kind to operate indicating mechanism by the inser' tion of the plug into the appropriate socket, and in some instances the insertion of the plug into the one socket has resulted in the prevention of the wrong insertion of a plug into the other socket. v i v According to the present invention an operating member between the sockets on the movable portion and the indicating mechanism is made intwo parts relatively movable and'so arranged that the movement of one part by the insertion of the plug prevents the movement of the other art or prevents ,the wrong insertion of tie plug to move the other part. i

This operatingmember is preferably in the form of two parallel bars or rods capable of movement in the direction of their length bar is arranged to be moved by a cam it slides over, a

in a frame or housing on the movable portion of the gear. These bars can slide relatively to each other and they pass down behind and adjacent to the openings of the usual sockets for the removable plug. Each or like member pivoted to the frame and so positionedras to be moved when the plug is inserted by apin or extension on theend o the plug. The cam for one bar'is moved when the removable plug is inserted in the top socket, and that for the other bar when the plug is placed in the bottom socket. The cams and bars are so shaped and disposed that the movement of the one barby its cam locks the cam' for the other bar and vice versa. v v

Conveniently each cam has a nose or projection which enters a slot or gap in the corresponding bar, and when that bar moves flat face on the other cam and thus looks that earn and prevents it from being moved, thus preventing also the full insertion of a removable plug intothe other socket. Preferably the bars do not rest upon the cams but upon pins in the supporting frame and the cam, when moved by the in:

OF HEBBURN=ON 1926, Serial No.

ENGLAND, as;

-TYI\TE, ENGLAND, A COMPANY 0E GREAT ELECTRIC swrrorr GEAR,

156,748, and in Great Britain February 2,1926. 7

sertion of the plug, turns about its pivot and rinses its bar by contact withthe top of the s ot. 1

Above the parallel bars constituting the operating member is a box or casing contain ing appropriate indicating mechanism which is operated by the movement of the bars. This indicatingmechanism may be direct or indirect, i. e. the indication maybe given on the movable portion of the gear as for example by the movement of a flap or shutv ter, or devices on the movable portion of the gearmay be set so that the actual indica sronoa TO A. aaYnoLLn a v tion if desired at some remote place-may be given when the movable portion is racked in. Preferably DIOVlSlOll is made as hereinafter described for both formsof indication.

In one convenient construction each of the parallel bars is slotted or provided with a gap near its upper end to engage the cams ia-ped arm of a bell crank lever mounted on a spindle in the casing, the; other arm of the bell crank lever being joined by a link toa crank on a shaft also in the casing and carrying two switch-operating arms or levers. The one hell crank lever isfree to turn'on its spindle and the other pinned to the spindle, and the two bell crank levers are so arranged that when the cam-shaped arm being lifted by the upward movement of the bar with which it cooper ates, the shaft carrying'the two switch-operating arms is partially rotated in one direction'and when the other bell crank lever is similarly moved the motion of the shaftis in the opposite direction. This determines which of the switch-operating arms shall be set into position wherein it will operate an one is rotated by its appropriate switch when the movable p'or- 7 When the invention is applied to two or.

provision is prefermulti-phase switch-gear, ably made so that the insertionof the removable plug in say the bottom busbar socket of one phase does not only lock'the cam and prevent the insertion of the plug into the top socket of the same phase'but also looks the cams pertaining to the top sockets of the other phase or phases. This can be accomplished by: coupling togetherths spindles .lly

for each phase ii on which levers are mounte But in such an application of the invention provision is also preferably made for indicating on the movable portion of the gear whether or not the removable plugs for all the phases have been inserted. For this purpose advantage is taken of the fact that the bar firstmoved by the insertion of its plug pushes up the cam-faced arm of its own bell crank lever whilst the corresponding bars of the other phases are pulled up by their cam-faced arms. The cam surfaces on the arms are so shaped that the vertical travel of the lower part or nose when pushed up by its bar is greater than the ver tical travel of the upper nose. Consequently supposing the plug to have been inserted in No.1 phase socket and that bar raised for a definite amount, the upward movement of No. 2 and No. 3 phase bars which are lifted by'their cams will be less than that of N o. 1 bar and they can be raised still further when their plugs are inserted. Separate indicating flaps or the like are provided for each phase but these are operated only by the bars when intheir extreme final'positions. No. 1 phase bar attains this position at once, being pushed thereinto by the operation of the removable plug acting on its cam, and consequently its indicator is moved to display, for instance, the signal Phase 1 bottom plug in.' But the indicators for phases 2 and 3 are not moved until the appropriate removable plugs are inserted to the bell crank push their bars from the positions into which they have been lifted bythe top faces of their cams, into their final positions.

Obviously the final position of the bars due to the proper insertion of all the removable plugs can be made to give an appropriate indication in many other ways.

For example, contacts may be arranged so that they are all closed only when the above mentioned condition is fulfilled, and when closed complete an indicator circuit.

It is not necessary to duplicate the mechanism for moving the switch-operating arms or levers previously referred to as such mechanism may be arranged and operated as described by one phase of the switchgear only.

It will be understood that the parallel bars or rods may be made partly of metal and partly 'of insulating'material and that their detailed construction may vary, for instance, instead of the cams working in they may operate between projections formed in or attached to the rods.

: In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of one construction of electric switchgear according to this invention,

F lgure 2 1s a section corresponding 111 part to Figure 1 but showing the parallel bars and their cams drawn to a. larger scale and in a different position,

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2,"

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the parallel bars and their cams but separated for the sake of clearness,

Figure 5 is a section showing the bars in the positions which they occupy in Figure 2 and showing also the indicating mechanism operated by the bars,

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing the positions which the bars belonging to the next phase of the switchgear would occupy at one stage of the operation,

Figure 7 is an elevation partly in section on the line 7-7 of Figure 5, and

Figure 8 is an elevation partly in section on the line 88 of Figure 1 but drawn to the same scale as Figure 7.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

In Figure 1 A is part of the casing of the movable or draw-out portion of the switchgear having sockets A A into which a removable plug can be inserted so that when the movable portion is racked in connection may be established between one pole of a switch contained in the tank A and one or other of two fixedbusbar sockets B and B forming part of the fixed portion of the gear. A portion of a removable plug C with its pin C is shown in Figures 2 and 5 in its operative position in the upper socket A Immediately behind the two sockets A and A is a frame or housing D containing fixed bars E carrying pivoted cams F and and having a block E forming a guide for two parallel bars G and G various members can be seen clearly in F igures 2, Sand 4, Figures 2 and 3 showin the fixed bars E and movable bars G and (i in' their assembled position in the housing D and Figure 1 showing the movable bars G and G opened outor separated from the fixed bars and the cams. The bars G and G are slotted as at G and studs E ass through these slots into the block E ach bar G and G is capable of moving in the direction of its length relatively to the other bar and to the fixed bar E. This movement is brought about by the cams F and F the appropriate cam being swung upwards about its pivot by the pin C when the removable plug C is inserted in the socket A or A adjacent to the cam. As maybe seen by reference to Figure 4, the cam F has a nose F normally accommodated in a recess Gr cated in Figure 4 but it is unnecessary to describe this construction in detail as it does not itself form an essential part of the presanism operated by the bars Gr G carrying two cranks L and L top of the bar ent invention.

It will be seen by reference to Figure 4 that the cam F has a flat face F 4 of the nose F and that the cam F has a corresponding flat face F on the other side of its. nose F. If the removable plug be inserted into the top socket A as is shown in Figure 2 the cam F is turned upwards and its nose F lifts the bar G. The lower part of this bar slides over the flat face F of the cam F and thus it is impossible to insert a removable plug fully into the socket A for the cam F is held by the bar G and will not allow the entrance of the pin C of the plug. Conversely if the removable plug be inserted into the bottom socket A movement of the bar G will lock the cam F and prevent the insertion of the plug into the upper socket A Above the casing A (Figure 1) is a box or casing H containing the indicating mech- Journalled in this box is a shaft J upon which two bell crank levers are mounted. 1 One arm of one lever is in the form of a cam K and the other arm of the same bellcrank lever is formed by the crank arm K The other bell crank lever is similarly formed and comprises the cam K and crank arm K The bell crank lever K K is loose on the shaft J but the bell crank lever K K is pinned to it as at J (Figure 7).

Extending across the casingH is another transverse shaft J 2 (Figures 1, 5, 7 and 8) The crank L is joined by a link L to the crank arm K and the crank L is similarly joined by a link L to the crank arm K The extremities of the shaft J project outside the casing H and carry switch-operating arms or levers M M which, when neither of the bars is lifted, are kept in an inoperative position as shown in Figures 1, 7 and 8 by a spring M The cam the upward K o erates in a recess G at the and the cam K in a corresponding recess G at the top of the bar G These recesses are somewhat longer than the cams so that when the bars G G are not raised there is some clearance between the lower noses of the cams and the bottom ends of the recesses.

In alignment is a spring-controlled plunger N operatively connected to a hinged flap N and another plunger N linked to a flap N is similarly at one side with the top of the bar G Phase 1 top plug in.

placed in relation either bar is fully raised by the insertion ofthe removable plug into the appropriate socketand the consequent movement of the cam F or F the top of the bar forces up the plunger and raises the flap N or'N into a vertical position which gives a-visible indication that the plug is inserted in the upper or lower socket as the case may be. This upward movement of the bar G or G also acts on the appropriate cam K or K and through the linkage and cranks rotates the shaft J in one direction or the other so to bring either the arm or lever M or M- into a horizontal position such as is shown in dotted lines in Figure 5 with regard to the lever l 1 operated by the upward movement of the barG. In this horizontal position the arm or lever cooperates with any convenient form of switch mechanism in a casing B on the fixed portion of the gear when the movable portion is racked in. The present invention is not concerned with the details of this switch mechanism and it will be understood that the switches may control any 'of the usual auxiliary circuits.

V Vhen the mvention'is applied to-multiphase switchgear it will be appreciated that each phase of the gear may be provided witi mechanism of the kind described and that the shafts J for the indicating mechanism of each phase may be coupled together as for instance is indicated at the right-hand side of Figure 7. In such an application of the invention, however, it is desirable to provide some means for indicating the condition of the switchgear if inadvertently the proper removable plug for any one phase has not been inserted. Obviously the insertion of the removable plug say in the socket A of one phase will prevent the insertion of a plug not merely into the socket to the bar G when I A of the same phase but into the socketA of any other phase for, throughthe coupling of the shafts J, the same set of bars will be raised in all three phases and the other set locked, but nevertheless, unless say in threephase switchgear all three removable plugs are inserted in the top sockets Ahthe gear will not be properly set and thus it is de sirable to have some indication of such a condition when it exists.

To make this part of the invention clear the operation of the apparatus shown in Figure 6 may be assumed to be that per-- taining to say the second phase of multiphase switchgear, the two shafts J being in line and coupled. Now supposing that the removable plug has been inserted in the socket A as shown in Figure 5, the parts of the mechanism will assume the positions.

shown in that figure, the bar G will be fully raised and its indicator N lifted. This -i-ndicator maybe assumed to bear the legend In this position it must be remembered that the bar G has been lifted by its cam F and after moving uptent but will in fact be hanging on its cam K as shown in Figure 6 instead of being pushed like the bar G of Figure 5 in ad vanee of the top nose of its cam. As will also be seen from Figure 6, when the bar G of any phase has thus only been partially raised, although that movement is suificient to lock the cam of the socket A it is not suflicient to operate the flap indicator l Thus in the position shown in Figure 6 the indicator N remains in its downward position until the removable plug is inserted into the socket A The cam F then rises freely until, it comes into contact with the end of its recess in the bar G and then lifts that bar to complete its upward movement and operate the indicator N In Figures 1 and the casingI-I is shown as containing a switch O closed when the bar G is raised by the action of a roller 0 carried on a bar 0 which. passes through the recess G in the top part of the bar and forms the bottom thereof. This switch as shown in Figure 5 is closed when the bar reaches its final raised position. Such a switch or a similar one may or may not be provided in switchgear according to this invention, and when pro vided may be used for a variety of purposes in connection with auxiliary circuits. There may be one of such switches for each of the movable bars.

Details of construction may be varied without departing from the spirit of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In electric switchgear of the draw-out type for a duplex busbar system in which selection of one or other of the busbars for connection to a switch is effected by the insertion of a removable plug, the combination, in the draw-out portion of the switchgear, of a plurality of sockets to receive the removable plug, indicating mechanism, a two-part operating member between said sockets and said indicating mechanism, and

means whereby the insertion of said plug into one of said sockets moves one part of the two-part operating member to actuate the indicating mechanism and prevents the movement of the other part of the two-part operating member.

2. In electric switchgear of the draw-out type for a duplex busbar system, in which the selection of one or other of the busbars for connection to a switch is efiected'by the insertion of a removable plug, the combination, in the draw-out portion of the switchgear, of a plurality of sockets to receive the removable plug, indicating mechanism, two parallel operating bars between saidsockets and said indicating mechanism, a pivoted cam having a flat face and adapted to move one operating bar when the plug is inserted into one of said sockets and a second pivoted cam also having a flat face and adapted to move the other operating bar when the plug is inserted into another of the said socket-s, the bars and cams being so arranged that when either bar is moved by its cam it slides over the flat face on the other cam and locks it against movement. 7

, 3. In electric switchgearof the draw-out type for a duplex busbar system in which the selection of one or other of the busbars for connection to a switch is effected by the insertion of a removable plug, the combination, in the draw-out portion of the switchgear, of a plurality of sockets to receive the plug,'indicating mechanism, two parallel operating bars between said sockets and said indicating mechanism, a pivoted cam having ,a'flat face and adapted to move one operating bar when the plug is inserted into one of said sockets, a second pivoted cam having a flat face and adapted to move the other operating bar when the plug is inserted into another of said sockets, the bars and cams being so arranged that when either bar is moved by its cam it slides over the flat face on the other cam and locks it against movement, and auxiliary switch-operating mech anism adapted to be set by the movement of either operating bar so as to be operative when the movable portion of the gear is racked in. 7

a. In electric-switchgear ofthe draw-out type for use in a multi-phase system having for eaclrphasethe combination of parts as set forth in claim 2, the combination with the parallel operating bars of all the phases, of operative connections so arranged that the insertion of the removable plug in a selected position in one phase moves one of the parallel bars of all the phases and prevents the movemcnt of the other bars.

5. In electric switchgear of the draw-out type for use in a multi-phase system having for each phase the combination of parts as set forth in claim 3, the combination with the parallel operating bars of all the phases, of operative connections so arranged that the insertion of the removable plug in a selected position in one phase moves one of the parallel bars of all the phases and prevents the movement of the other bars.

6. In electric switchgear of the draw-out type for use in a inulti-phase system havin for each phase the combination of parts as set forth in claim 2 the combination with the parallel operating bars of all the phases of operative connections so arranged that movement of the appropriate operating bar of one phase causes only a partial movement of the corresponding operating bars of the other phases and the locking of the operating cams for the other bars of all the phases, so that an indication is given of the omission to insert a plug into the corresponding sockets of the other phases.

7. In electric switchgear of the draw-out type for use in amulti-phase system having for each phase the combination of parts as set forth in claim 3, the combination with the parallel operating bars of all the phases, of operative connections so arranged that movement of the appropriate operating bar of one phase causes only a partial movement of the corresponding operating bars of the other phases and the locking of the other bars of all the phases, and means whereby the insertion of plugs into the proper sockets of the other phases causes a further movement of the operating members for the said phases so as to give an indication of the fact that the plugs have been inserted.

8. In electric switchgear of the draw-out type for use in a multi-phase system having for each phasethe combination of parts as set forth in claim 2. the combination with each of the parallel operating bars of a cam adapted to engage with a recess in the upper part of the bar, and operative connections between the corresponding cams for each phase, so that, when one cam is rotated by its bar, the corresponding cams for the other phases are also simultaneously rotated, the lengths of the recesses being such that, when one cam is moved by itsbar, the initial movement of the other cams connected to it produces no movement of the corresponding bars until the cams have come into engagement with the tops of their recesses, thereby imparting only a partial movement to these bars, so that the indicating mechanism for the other phases is not operated until their respective plugs have been in serted in the proper sockets.

9. In electric switchgear of the draw-out type for use in a multi-phase system having for each phase the combination of parts as set forth in claim 3, the combination with each of the parallel operating bars, of a cam adapted to engage with a recess in the upper part of the bar, and operative connections between the corresponding cams for each phase, so that, when one cam is rotated by its bar, the corresponding cams for the other phases are also simultaneously rotated, the lengths of the recesses being such that, when one cam is moved by its bar, the initial movement of the other cams connected to it produces no movement of the corresponding bars until the cams have come into engagement with the tops of their recesses, thereby imparting only a partial movement to these bars, so that the indicating mechanism for the other phases is not operate until their respective plugs have been inserted in the proper sockets. v

10. In electric switchgear of the draw-out type for a duplex the selection of one or other of the busbars for connection to a switch is effected by the insertion of a removable plug the combination, in the draw-out portion of the switchgear, of a plurality of sockets to receive the removable plug, cams adjacent to said sockbusbar system in which die ets and adapted to be moved on the insertion of said plug, two parallel operating bars op erated as set forth by said cams, indicating mechanism adjacent to said bars and operated by them when raised by their cams, an auxiliary switch mounted on the fixed portion of the switchgear, auxiliary switch operating members mounted on the draw-out portion and operative connections between said members and the parallel bars substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

EDGAR WATERHoUsEy 

